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Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Seconds - Review of a Convert
Jan 27, 2013,17:33 PM
Do you remember the last time you gasped when you saw a beautiful timepiece... This is the story of my journey into the world of GP.
While GP as a company has a long (over 220 years of watchmaking), and celebrated history of creating chronometric watches, it has been largely over looked by many collectors for several reasons (not restricted),
- Quality of finishing in relation to ALS, PP, VC amongst others. This of course arguable if u reach the upper echlons of Golden Bridges (which becomes out of reach of mere mortals)
- Price of GP watches often fall on the wrong side of a Lange (for example)
- Poor residual value (which of course is a general observation)
- Designs that harks back to dayz of classics which may not appeal to many today, influenced by the big, heft and brutish
All of the above are common feedback when I asked about why do u not already own a GP in your vast collection ...
Naturally, I had the same train of thought, until ...... this very special piece came along .....
Poetry, balance, harmony, beauty are the most common terms associated with this watch. To which I all agree and more...
Its quite simply a work of art and IMO the best of GP in decades
Casework:-
Pink gold case
Diameter: 40 mm
Antireflective sapphire crystal
Sapphire case-back
Water resistance: 30 meters
40mm of well crafted pose gold.
Due to the size of the movement, the watch has a relatively thick bezel.
Well designed lugs make for a very comfortable feel on the wrist.
Side profile reveals a slimness that would woo anyone looking for a perfect dress watch.
Easy to fit under shirt cuffs. Very understated and unobtrusive with a tuxedo.
Beautiful fluted crown. Perfectly sized and well engineered to the touch.
Dial:-
The magic of this piece obviously lies in the Grand Feu Dial. A dial like no other.
Enamel and hand painted. My first enamel and can now appreciate the fuss over such a dial.
While its not very apparent, the hands are blued to perfection and classic GP. The markers work very well on the enamel dial
The rail dial lends a vintage and nostalgic feel. The way I like my dress watches .... Classic !
Movement:-
Girard-Perregaux GP03300-50 mechanical self-winding movement
Caliber: 11 ½ ’’’
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
Jewels: 32
The business end of the watch needs little introduction. A well and truly tested workhorse.
Buckle:-
Ardillon and in Pink Gold
With the GP logo nicely etched. Off centre, nice touch.
Conclusions:-
I truly think I have found my perfect dress watch. That Grand Feu dial, the caswork and the ergonomics all adds up to an excellent timepice, bar none !
If you are on the fence about this watch, I strongly suggest u give it a serious consideration.
U will be charmed ..... as I have .....
This message has been edited by dxboon on 2013-01-27 20:16:31 This message has been edited by dxboon on 2013-01-30 07:14:00